Bibi Kiranjot Kaur testing waters from new seat
Amritsar, September 6
With the SAD candidates getting elected unopposed from five SGPC seats in Amritsar district, all eyes are now on Amritsar (West) constituency from where granddaughter of Master Tara Singh and former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur is contesting her third election.

For SGPC chief Makkar, it’s a familiar terrain
Ludhiana, September 6
With less than a fortnight to the SGPC elections, the campaign of SGPC president Avtar Singh
Makkar, who is SAD (B) candidate from Ludhiana (West), has turned into a hectic mode. He is pitted against Gurdip Singh
Gosha, the Panthic Morcha candidate.

HC puts order on hold
Chandigarh, September 6
Breathing fire, the State of Punjab today dubbed the developments in the Sehajdhari voting rights case as a “great conspiracy” between the Centre and Sehajdhari Sikhs, even as the Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court put on hold its previous order of September 1.

Remove posters within 2 days: Brar
Chandigarh, September 6
Chief Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections, Justice HS Brar (retd) has issued a warning to candidates for the SGPC poll against pasting posters and billboards on public land, the roadside and on properties which don't belong to them, or their supporters.

Manpreet, Capt misleading Sikhs, says Dal Khalsa
Jalandhar, September 6
The Dal Khalsa has said that the term Sehajdhari has lost its relevance in Sikhism and that former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal were either ignorant or were misleading the electorate.

Anand Marriage Act Row
Law Minister to take up issue with PM
New Delhi, September 6
Law Minister Salman Khursheed today assured a group of Sikh MPs that he would discuss the Anand Marriage Act amendment matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon as he returned from Bangladesh trip, and come up with a solution.

Fazilka bundh breach yet to be plugged
Fazilka, September 6
Breach in the DCB bundh near RD 27 in Dona Sikandari area of the district continues to create problems for the residents even as the administration has been struggling to plug the gap -- around 200-feet wide.

Army jawans fill sand bags to plug the breach of the bundh in Fazilka. Photo: Praful Chander Nagpal

A farmer of Jodhpura Romna village of Bathinda shows rotten cotton balls following incessant rains. A Tribune photo

Candidates want dates of PCS, Judicial mains exams changed
Jalandhar, September 6
Scores of aspirants who have cleared their preliminary exams have appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to change the dates of the PCS (Executive) Mains and the Additional District Judge (ADJ) Mains examination as both were clashing.

Set up cancer hospitals in all dists, CPI tells Centre
Bathinda, September 6
The Communist Party of India (CPI) today asked the Centre to release Rs 2,500 crore to Punjab for setting up and maintaining cancer hospitals at its all 22 district headquarters on the plea that Punjab’s underground water and environment had been affected badly due to continuous and excessive use of pesticides.

Inside
Babudom
Baldip Sandhu back in Chandigarh, this time as I-T Commissioner
Chandigarh, September 6
An administrative reshuffle in the Income Tax Department has been homecoming for Baldip Singh Sandhu of the 1981 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax). He will be the new Commissioner-II, Income Tax,
Chandigarh. In all, more than 60 IRS officers have been shifted and given new postings in the administrative reshuffle ordered today.
Baldip Singh Sandhu

Roko Cancer comes to aid of special children
Faridkot, September 6
At least 60 special children suffering from cancer have a reason to smile. The UK-based Roko Cancer Trust has donated equipment for hydrotherapy and naturotherapy to Baba Farid Centre for Special Children,
Faridkot, which helps counter the adverse impact of cancer. Two years back, laboratory tests had found traces of depleted uranium in the hair of 113 special children at this
centre.

Bumpy ride on Kharar-Kurali stretch irks villagers
Mohali, September 6
Irked over increasing accidents due to bad condition of the 10-km-long Kharar-Kurali stretch of the National Highway 21, residents of several villages of the area, led by senior Congress leader Rajbir Singh Padiala, today blocked the highway for more than two hours.

Villagers protest against poor condition of the 10-km-long Kharar-Kurali stretch of the NH-21 near Padiala village on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Mid-day meal workers protest over poor wages
Patiala, September 6
Hundreds of female mid-day meal workers of the Democratic Mid-Day Meal Cook Front, Punjab, working in various government schools, staged a protest against the callous attitude of the Punjab Government at the Nehru Park here today.

Mid-day meal workers protest against the Punjab Government in Patiala on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Pirated CDs of ‘Bodyguard’ hit video stores in Patiala
Patiala, September 6
Despite breaking the records of the highest-ever first-day box office collections in the country, all it takes is Rs 40 in Punjab to flout orders of the top brass of the state police to watch the pirated version of the recently released Bollywood movie ‘Bodyguard’. It is easily available at all the video stores.

The clouds spat fire, say terrified villagers
Shambhu (Rajpura), September 6
“The clouds opened and poured fire instead of rain,” explained a terrified car driver, an eyewitness to the MiG crash that left a deep crater in this sleepy village near Rajpura. It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when an unusual sound from the skies jolted the villagers out of their slumber. They ran out of their homes and were horrified to see the smouldering aircraft wreckage strewn in the fields.

The smouldering wreckage of a MiG that crashed in therr fields of a village near Rajpura on Tuesday.
Tribune photo: JS Virdi

Dhanda case: SC issues notice on Punjab’s plea
Chandigarh, September 6
Just more than a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside Harish Rai Dhanda’s appointment as Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, the Supreme Court has issued a notice on a special leave petition filed by the State of Punjab.

Policeman booked for fake raid
Bathinda, September 6
The local police has booked a sub-inspector stationed at the Kotkapura city police station and two others for conducting a fake raid on a house a few days ago.

Another person held in fake degree case
Patiala, September 6
A day after the Patiala police claimed to have busted a fake degree racket, the third accused and the mastermind of the racket Jaswinder Singh has also been arrested. The city police is smelling a widespread travel agency fraud as well, in which candidates could have used these degrees to get admissions abroad.

Man booked for duping Patiala resident
Rajpura, September 6
The police here has registered a case against Nishan Singh of Saidkherhi village for duping a Patiala resident of his money on the pretext of selling him a piece of land. An FIR has been registered against the accused.

Two held with drugs
Patiala, September 6
The Jhulka police has arrested two persons in different raids and recovered 5-kg opium and 80-kg poppy husk from them. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the arrested persons.

Amritsar, September 6
With the SAD candidates getting elected unopposed from five SGPC seats in Amritsar district, all eyes are now on Amritsar (West) constituency from where granddaughter of Master Tara Singh and former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur is contesting her third election.

Bibi Kiranjot Kaur had contested the last two SGPC elections in 1996 and 2004 from Amritsar (Central) constituency. However, she seems unfazed by the change in the constituency due to rotation of double-membership seats this time. “I don’t see a problem. In fact, I am happy to get a constituency where we have more Akali supporters. I also have my parental home in Amritsar (West) constituency.”

In a triangular contest, she is pitted against Bibi Satwinder Kaur of Panthic Morcha and Bibi Ranjeet Kaur of SAD (Amritsar). Bibi Satwinder Kaur is the granddaughter of former SGPC chief Prem Singh Lalpura. The constituency has 54,211 voters: 27,859 male and 26,352 female.

In the thick of campaigning these days, the former SGPC general secretary starts her day as early as 7 am. “We utilise the morning hours to contact people in their households while in the evening, we hold public meetings between 4 pm and 10 pm,” she averred.

Amidst the electorate, she greets the voters warmly, particularly women. “Do cast your vote. Don’t feel shy,” she would tell women. Among the issues she raises are rising apostasy and drug addiction among youth, to which, she said, women connect as they are the ones who bear the brunt of these evils.

About the contest, Bibi Kiranjot claimed that the voters don’t even know the name of her rival candidate.

However, unlike the last two elections, it would not be a cakewalk for her for various reasons. Firstly, she is new to the constituency. Secondly, sitting SGPC member advocate Jaswinder Singh has been denied ticket and he is yet to openly come out in support of both the party candidates (there are two SAD candidates as it is a double-membership seat).

On the possibility of recent developments regarding the Anand Marriage Act and Sehajdhari Sikhs lending political tinge to the poll campaign, she said both these issues are very much religious issues which, she opined, are not only restricted to the gurdwaras.

Dwelling on her achievements, Bibi Kiranjot Kaur said she, as SGPC general secretary, along with the then SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar took up the case of barring Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections with the Centre, following which the notification was issued in 2003. She was also instrumental in the preparation of dossier for World Heritage Site status for the Golden Temple, though it could not materialise. On her future plans, she said she would like to focus on carrying forward the interfaith dialogue, besides grooming Sikh scholars for propagation of Sikhism in pace with the changing times.

Ludhiana, September 6
With less than a fortnight to the SGPC elections, the campaign of SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, who is SAD (B) candidate from Ludhiana (West), has turned into a hectic mode. He is pitted against Gurdip Singh Gosha, the Panthic Morcha candidate.

Makkar's campaign meetings start early in the morning and continue late till evening. He has no dearth of issues to address. He lashes out at Paramjit Singh Sarna, president, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, challenging him to contest elections against him.

Terming Sarna as a "Congress agent", he claims that Sarna would forfeit his deposit if he (Sarna) contested the SGPC elections.

Makkar taps into history to refurbish his point on the SGPC, the apex body of the Sikh shrines across India. He exhorts the audience to take the call of their conscience. His extempore finds a mention of the Operation Bluestar and 1984 riots.

The SGPC elections are a familiar terrain for Makkar, the SGPC president for sixth time in a row.

In 2005, he dropped his surname 'Makkar' from his name. Yet, the surname sticks to him. "I am just Avtar Singh. But the media keeps suffixing my name with 'Makkar'," he says.

Among his achievements as the SGPC president, he lists at the top the live telecast of Gurbani from Harmandar Sahib and the setting up of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University at Fatehgarh Sahib. His agenda as the SGPC president, he says, includes a concerted fight against drug addiction, particularly among the youth of Punjab. "Drug de-addiction centres at Ludhiana and Bathinda are on the anvil. But we are facing a major problem of finding competent psychiatrists," he adds.

"We have to deal with the issues of apostasy, environmental degradation and female foeticide. Apart from these, it is imperative to present the authentic Sikh history," he says.

Ironically, his opponent Gosha accuses him of "distorting history". He also censures him for "failing to curb the menace of drug addiction that has spread its tentacles across rural Punjab". Punjab may rank among the first two states in the per capita consumption of liquor, but according to Badal-loyalist Makkar, SAD (B) and the SGPC are leaving no stone unturned to curb this menace.

His final statement during the campaign meetings: "It will be a clean sweep for SAD (B) in the SGPC elections."

In a statement here today, Amarinder Singh maintained that the needle of suspicion pointed towards those who were at the helm of affairs (SGPC). He said there had always been reports of the SGPC funds being misappropriated.

The former Chief Minister said he had information that cable channels, that were controlled by Sukhbir’s henchmen, had withheld about Rs 12 crore due to Darbar Sahib for the live telecast of kirtan. “It is shameful that the owners of these channels are minting money in the name of the Guru, but are not ready to pay their dues to the shrine,” he observed.

Maintaining that the issue was scandalous, he said it showed how poor the SGPC management was. Of the 86 gurdwaras, 42 had deficit accounts.

He said, this was because the SGPC had failed in its Dharam Parchar mission. The SGPC elections had alienated the Sahajdharis whose number was up to 62 lakh. He asked the SGPC to explain as to how much money had been spent on Dharam Parchar in the last budget. The PCC president welcomed the Cabinet approval of a “farmer friendly” Land Acquisition Bill. He said,when the Congress government came to power, the Bill would be implemented in letter and spirit and the Gobindpura farmers would also be given compensation accordingly. He said the farmers could not expect much from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was only buying time to ensure that the farmers called off their stir.

He lashed out at the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister for not paying enough attention to those affected by the recent floods and being too busy with campaigning for the SGPC elections. “When people are clamouring for relief, the father-son duo is busy seeking votes for the SGPC”, he pointed out, while asking the government to take immediate flood relief measures.

Chandigarh, September 6
Breathing fire, the State of Punjab today dubbed the developments in the Sehajdhari voting rights case as a “great conspiracy” between the Centre and Sehajdhari Sikhs, even as the Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court put on hold its previous order of September 1.

The Full Bench of Justice MM Kumar, Justice Alok Singh and Justice Gurdev Singh had on September 1 disposed of as infructuous a bunch of petitions filed by the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation and other petitioners. They had challenged the October 8, 2003, notification that debars the Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections.

The orders came after senior advocate Harbhagwan Singh told the Bench he was appearing on behalf of the Centre and the impugned notification stood withdrawn. The Centre the very next day clarified that the notification was still in force.

As the Centre’s plea for recalling the High Court orders came up for hearing before the specially convened Full Bench this afternoon, Punjab’s senior Deputy Advocate-General Mukesh Berry said: “It is a great conspiracy by the petitioners, along with the Union of India. A novel method was adopted on the issue….”

Seeking directions for bringing under the High Court’s scanner Harbhagwan Singh’s action, Berry said: “Get some explanation from him”. Referring to a news report carried in these columns today, Berry said even the Union Law Minister has come out with a statement on the issue.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Kumar made it clear it was for the court to see whether some explanation was required. Refusing to take on record the assertion based on a newspaper report, Justice Kumar told Berry he could place the news item on record after submitting it formally with an undertaking that the contents were true to the best of his knowledge.

The courtroom remained packed with lawyers during the proceedings. Despite the large numbers, an atypical silence prevailed as arguments continued for almost 15 minutes. Harbhagwan Singh was present throughout the hearing.

At the very onset, Assistant Solicitor-General Anmol Rattan Sidhu, accompanied by standing counsel Onkar Batalvi, said Harbhagwan Singh was neither briefed, nor were instructions on the withdrawal of notification issued. He said the very next day the Union Home Minister had clarified that the notification had not been withdrawn. Sidhu also read out on court’s instructions the Home Minister’s statement made before Parliament.

As the Bench issued notice on the Centre’s plea on recalling the order, one of the counsel Ashwani Chopra said a reply was not required to be filed in the matter and sought a stay on the election on the ground that the case was more than eight years old. The Bench placed under suspension the operation of its September 1 order and fixed Tuesday as the next date of hearing.

SEHAJDHARI CASE

n State of Punjab dubs developments in the case as a ‘great conspiracy’ between the Central Govt and the Sehajdhari
Sikhsn
The courtroom remained packed with lawyers during the proceedingsn
Despite the large numbers, an atypical silence prevailedn
The arguments continued for almost 15 minutes

All in writing: Leaving nothing to chance, the
High Court sought everything in writing. “Time has come when we must demand everything in writing,” Justice MM Kumar observed.

Chandigarh, September 6
Chief Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections, Justice HS Brar (retd) has issued a warning to candidates for the SGPC poll against pasting posters and billboards on public land, the roadside and on properties which don't belong to them, or their supporters.

Brar said all parties were guilty of violating the model code of conduct on this count. He asked the candidates to remove all the posters within two days.

“If after the expiry of two days, any poster or billboard remains on government property/public place/property of private persons without their specific permission, the Deputy Commissioner or the Returning Officers will intimate the matter to the commission”.

The commission, he said, any such violation would invite penal action.

Muktsar, September 6
Another Manpreet Badal’s confidant Jagdeep Singh Kala and the People’s Party of Punjab’s zone incharge Balkar Singh joined the ruling SAD here today.

They were welcomed into the party fold by SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Kala was personal assistant to Gurdas Badal, Manpreet’s father.

Addressing a series of rallies at Gidderbaha, Bhalaiana, Dhurkot, Surewala, Harike Kalan, Thandewala, Rupana and Bhangjhari, Sukhbir said Manpreet’s decision to desert the SAD was part of a larger design involving the Congress.

He alleged that Manpreet and Congress had joined hands on a number of SGPC seats, including the seat of Gidderbaha.

Kala said that he was upset at Manpreet joining hands with the “anti-Punjab Congress”.

Earlier, campaigning for SAD-Sant Samaj candidates for the SGPC elections, Sukhbir accused Capt Amarinder Singh of indulging in divisive politics which, he said, had earlier put the state in turmoil.

Jalandhar, September 6
The Dal Khalsa has said that the term Sehajdhari has lost its relevance in Sikhism and that former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal were either ignorant or were misleading the electorate.

Party leader HS Dhami said that both the leaders were airing their views without an in-depth understanding of the issue. “They should bear in mind that this practice (Sehajdhari) came to an end long time back,” he claimed. Taking exception to Amarinder's statement, he said the former and others like him were confusing Sehajdhari's with apostate Sikhs, hence, creating further confusion. “Amarinder should bear in mind that there are certain conditions laid down in the Sikh Gurdwara Act to become a voter in the SGPC poll. As per the act, apostate Sikhs have no right to vote in the elections,” he pointed out.

Party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said disenfranchising Sehajdharis should not be construed that “ Sikhs are alienating a segment of society that performs ceremonies according to Sikh traditions”.
— TNS

Anand Marriage Act Row
Law Minister to take up issue with PM
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, September 6
Law Minister Salman Khursheed today assured a group of Sikh MPs that he would discuss the Anand Marriage Act amendment matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon as he returned from Bangladesh trip, and come up with a solution.

The assurance comes close on the heels of Sikh high priests threatening to summon the PM at the Akal Takth for interference in the affairs of the community. The priests had met in Amritsar on September 3 and issued a statement condemning the Centre’s decision to drop the proposal to amend the Anand Karaj Act, 1909, to allow for the registration of Sikh marriages.

The Tribune had reported last week how the government had resolved to drop the proposal citing its potential to attract similar demands from the Buddhists and the Jains who, like the Sikhs, were currently registering their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Only the Muslims, Christians and Parsis had their separate provisions. Later, in an interview to the Tribune, Khursheed talked of the possibility of a more rational solution to the entire problem, proposing a central registry of marriages for all communities.

Today a group of Sikh members cutting across party lines met Khursheed to argue against the minister’s proposal for a uniform registry, saying the same could take a long
time whereas the Sikh demand for amendment to the Anand Marriage Act was urgent.

Including former Rajya Sabha member and chairman of the National Minorities Commission Tarlochan Singh, six Sikh MPs Partap Singh Bajwa, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, MS Gill and Ravneet Bittu from the Congress and SS Ahluwalia from the BJP apprised Khursheed of the 2008 proposal whereby the Law Ministry had prepared a draft Bill titled “The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2008” and promised to convert it into an Act.

Fazilka, September 6
Breach in the DCB bundh near RD 27 in Dona Sikandari area of the district continues to create problems for the residents even as the administration has been struggling to plug the gap -- around 200-feet wide.

According to information, continuously flowing water and inundated approach roads are the major hurdles. An estimated 4 lakh sand bags were required to plug the breach. Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg said the civil administration, the Army, NREGA workers and the villagers in large numbers were preparing sand bags at Mauzam bundh.

However, access to the area where the breach has occurred remains an issue as all approach roads lie inundated. If not plugged on time, the breach may lead to the inundation of around half a dozen low-lying villages. Once the breach is plugged, the water would flow over to its natural outfall -- Suleman Ki headworks in Pakistan.

Officials said if extra water was not released from the Hussainiwala headworks, the breach was likely to be plugged within two-three days.

Meanwhile, incessant rain over the past week has compounded the problems of the flood-affected villagers and the administration alike. It has hampered rescue and relief operations. Another hurdle is the paucity of funds. Against the civil administration’s demand for immediate grant of Rs 18 lakh for strengthening the infrastructure, only Rs 5.5 lakh has been released by the government. The tasks include strengthening of the bundhs, repair and relaying of washed roads, providing green fodder and offering aid to the flood-hit.

Mansa, September 6
A five-year-old child died as a house collapsed at Jatana village of Mansa following heavy rain today morning.

Identified as Khushpreet Singh, son of Dhanna Singh, a farmer, the victim was sleeping when the incident occurred at around 6.30 am. His parents and two brothers, aged eight and two, were also in the house at that time. However, the others escaped with minor injuries and were rescued by the neighbours.

The Malwa region has received heavy rainfall over the past two days, with water entering houses in low-lying areas. Several houses have reportedly developed cracks. A case has been registered under Section 174 of the
CrPC.

Bathinda/Mansa, September 6
Incessant rains in various districts of the Malwa region over the past 24 hours have affected the cotton crop, something that may result in reduced yield this season.

Farmers maintain that up to 25 per cent of the cotton crop had been damaged so far in inundated fields. Now, farmers fear pest attack and fungal and other diseases.

Agricultural experts and government officials, however, say it would take some time to ascertain the exact losses, though teams have been dispatched to various villages in the area. They say the cotton crop was at its flowering stage and many early sown varieties were the most affected in Malwa districts.

Dr Dileep Monga, Principal Investigator, (Plant Pathology) and Head of CICR (Central Institute of Cotton Research) Regional Station, Sirsa, says the damage to the crop following the rains is certain at this stage. The problem may aggravate if rains continue and the quality may be affected too, he says.

Jagtar Singh Brar, a farmer of Mehma Sarja village who had grown cotton crop on 10 acres, says over 25 per cent of his crop has been damaged. He along with many farmers had purchased early sown variety of BT cotton at a much higher price due to its shortage. He rued that farmers are unable to drain out water from many low-lying areas in the district.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Bathinda, Dr Paramjit Singh says they are assessing the damage caused by rain but so far no major losses have been reported.

Jalandhar, September 6
Scores of aspirants who have cleared their preliminary exams have appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to change the dates of the PCS (Executive) Mains and the Additional District Judge (ADJ) Mains examination as both were clashing.

The PCS (Executive) examination was being held from September 14 to October 10 while the ADJ exam was being held from September 23 to 25. The timings for both the exams, 2 pm-5 pm, too, are the same.

The students said they had written to both the institutions to change the date so that those appearing in both the exams were not inconvenienced. If the dates were not changed, many students would have to opt for only one exam for no fault of theirs, they pointed out.

It was after a long time that the exams were being held as the Commission was under the scanner over its recruitment ways. In the past too, the examinations have been postponed for many reasons leading to anxiety among the aspirants about their future, they added.

Since both the institutions are holding the exams regularly, they should evolve a mechanism so that such a situation does not arise in future, they said.

Bathinda, September 6
The Communist Party of India (CPI) today asked the Centre to release Rs 2,500 crore to Punjab for setting up and maintaining cancer hospitals at its all 22 district headquarters on the plea that Punjab’s underground water and environment had been affected badly due to continuous and excessive use of pesticides.

It further said the bad effects on groundwater and environment led to occurrence of thousands of cancer cases in the state, especially the Malwa-belt.

A member of the national executive of the CPI, Dr Joginder Dayal said in the light of Punjab’s contribution to the food security of the country at the cost of health of its residents, the Centre should release at least Rs 100 crore for every district to make a district-level cancer hospital and provide treatment to the patients. He also said the Centre and the state government should also raise a joint fund by contributing huge amounts for the treatment of the poor patients free of cost as the treatment of cancer was out of the reach of the poor and middle class families.

“The groundwater is not potable in many parts, especially the Malwa-region, due to excessive use of pesticides during the green revolution era and even later. Besides, the uranium content has also raised in the water due to which people have started suffering from various diseases. It is the responsibility of the Centre to come forward to the rescue of the people of Punjab,” he added.

He also flayed successive governments of the state, saying that they had done nothing to take the cancer issue seriously, except playing role of a mute spectator, despite the warnings by the scientists and the agriculture experts.

Dayal also urged the Punjab Government to order screening of people, especially in Bathinda, Muktsar, Mansa and Barnala and Sangrur, to detect cancer at initial stages.

Inside
Babudom
Baldip Sandhu back in Chandigarh, this time as I-T Commissioner
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 6
An administrative reshuffle in the Income Tax Department has been homecoming for Baldip Singh Sandhu of the 1981 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax). He will be the new Commissioner-II, Income Tax, Chandigarh. In all, more than 60 IRS officers have been shifted and given new postings in the administrative reshuffle ordered today.

Baldip comes from a family of bureaucrats. Two of his brothers and a sister-in-law belong to the Indian Administrative Service. Even his father was a civil servant. Earlier, Sandhu had a long stint in the Punjab Government as Adviser (Income Tax) and Secretary, Finance, before he was made Commissioner (Appeals) Patiala.

Some time back, his name was empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India. Sandhu replaces Pawan Parmar, who goes as Director, Regional Training Centre. Amit Jain will replace Sandhu in Patiala.

Other IRS official figuring in the transfer list is Harjit Singh Sohi from the region. He goes as Director Investigation Ludhiana. He was till now Commissioner-II, Amritsar. Earlier, Sohi had served the then Punjab State Electricity Board as Member (Finance). He will be replaced by RK Goel.

Another officer from the region, Rekha Shukla, becomes Commissioner (Income Tax, Appeals) Shimla, stationed at Solan. Rekha Shukla is the younger sister of Anuradha Gupta, a senior IAS officer of Haryana, currently on deputation with the Union Government in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Faridkot, September 6
At least 60 special children suffering from cancer have a reason to smile. The UK-based Roko Cancer Trust has donated equipment for hydrotherapy and naturotherapy to Baba Farid Centre for Special Children, Faridkot, which helps counter the adverse impact of cancer. Two years back, laboratory tests had found traces of depleted uranium in the hair of 113 special children at this centre.

South African toxicologist Dr Carin Smit collected hair and urine samples of 149 special children, which were sent to a German laboratory for clinical tests.

Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, ambassador of the trust, inaugurating the treatment centre, said that hydrotherapy would prove useful for the physical rehabilitation of the ailing children. “When performed in water, physical exercises cause less strain on the bones and joints. The water offers resistance to movement, which helps build muscle strength and reduce dehydration”, he explained.

He said this was the first centre in North India to have hydrotherapy and naturotherapy equipment for special children and cancer victims. Dhaliwal said: “Roko Cancer has organised more than 1,300 camps to detect cancer in the Malwa belt.”

Dr Pritpal Singh, who runs the centre, said the number of children affected by ecological degradation had risen dramatically in Punjab in the past decade.

“The inmates of the centre were born with hydro-cephaly, micro-cephaly, cerebral palsy, the Down's syndrome and other complications”, he said.

"The focus of Roko Cancer is to create awareness about breast cancer. We have covered nine districts in Punjab and performed mammography tests on 1.32 lakh women,” he added.

Mohali, September 6
Irked over increasing accidents due to bad condition of the 10-km-long Kharar-Kurali stretch of the National Highway 21, residents of several villages of the area, led by senior Congress leader Rajbir Singh Padiala, today blocked the highway for more than two hours.

The residents also threatened to sue the state PWD Department and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for dilly-dallying tactics in carrying out annual maintenance and carpeting of the national highway. A proposal to four-lane the Kharar-Kurali section of the highway is also pending with the ministry. The blockade was lifted after the PWD officials with the NHAI gave an assurance to start repair of the road within next two days.

“The PWD officials have been requested several times to repair the road, but to no avail. The PWD officials have not even fulfilled the promise, which they did after the protests held at Kharar and Kurali bus stands last month, to carryout the repair work of a patch on the same stretch. The condition of the Kurali-Morinda road is pitiable,” said Padiala.

A few days back, a 10-year-old boy had died after the two-wheeler on which he was riding fell due to a large pothole on the road. Taking the fatal accident as the warning call, the residents have announced to move the court against the state PWD Department.

Patiala, September 6
Hundreds of female mid-day meal workers of the Democratic Mid-Day Meal Cook Front, Punjab, working in various government schools, staged a protest against the callous attitude of the Punjab Government at the Nehru Park here today.

The agitators took out a rally from the Nehru Park to the Moti Bagh Palace, residence of External Affairs Minister of the State Preneet Kaur, and handed over a memorandum at her local office.

“Despite working for so many hours every day, we are paid a meagre salary of Rs 1,000 per month. With increasing inflation, it is impossible to eat even two meals a day with this salary. Despite the fact that many workers have been injured while cooking food, there is even no insurance or incentives for us. The government is taking undue advantage of the fact that we cannot even afford to leave this job as this is our only source of income. Moreover, our salaries are deducted on holidays. It is really unjust,” said state president of the front Harjinder Kaur.

“To top it all, the government has invited tenders from private players for running mid-day meal scheme in Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Mohali and Moga districts, which is another threat to our jobs. While on the one hand, the government talks about providing better facilities to its employees, it is unnecessarily ignoring our basic rights,” she added.

“We should be paid at least Rs 200 per month as the workload is really high. Moreover, every cook should be covered under insurance policy of Rs 1 lakh and in case of any accident, we should be given free medical treatment. The government should appoint one cook for every 25 students in order to ensure quality food and also send the supply of cereals on time. We should be issued identity cards and the educated amongst us should be promoted and given other responsibilities related to mid-day meal scheme. The government should also discontinue the practice of making unnecessary deductions in our salary and should reappoint the cooks who have been suspended without any valid reason,” she added.

Patiala, September 6
Despite breaking the records of the highest-ever first-day box office collections in the country, all it takes is Rs 40 in Punjab to flout orders of the top brass of the state police to watch the pirated version of the recently released Bollywood movie ‘Bodyguard’. It is easily available at all the video stores.

A major portion of the film was shot in Patiala, therefore it is in a great demand in the city. Regardless of a communiqué sent to all the SSPs in Punjab by the ADGP (Crime), pertaining to the release and availability of the pirated version of the film featuring Salman Khan, it is easily available within only a few days of its release.

In a letter shot off to all the SSPs, the ADGP office wrote:“The film has been released all over the country and outside on August 31 by Big Pictures and the cable operators generally start showing the pirated film the very next day. It causes heavy revenue loss to the government”.

The letter, available at majority of the police stations in the state, revealed that the movie was available for Rs 40 per DVD at almost all the video stores. “The print is excellent and instead of hiring it for Rs 30, you can buy a DVD for Rs 40,” said the owner of a store, located in the jurisdiction of the Civil Lines police station.

Another video store owner promised that the film CD, which he was giving, was genuine and released by the company and there was no need to fear the cops. “This was not in my knowledge that the film is available at the counters. We will conduct raids and not let it happen any further,” assured Patiala SP (D) Pritpal Singh Thind.
— TNS

Shambhu (Rajpura), September 6
“The clouds opened and poured fire instead of rain,” explained a terrified car driver, an eyewitness to the MiG crash that left a deep crater in this sleepy village near Rajpura. It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when an unusual sound from the skies jolted the villagers out of their slumber. They ran out of their homes and were horrified to see the smouldering aircraft wreckage strewn in the fields.

Iqbal Singh of Baprour village was on a morning walk when he saw a huge ball of fire hurtling towards a nearby field with speed.

“Before I could react, there was a deafening blast and I ducked behind the standing paddy crop in fear, wondering if it was an attack from the aliens,” he said. “The aircraft was reduced into ashes within seconds,” he recalled. Another witness Mohinder Singh said he was sipping tea when he saw “the clouds spit fire.”

Hundreds of villagers and anxious residents of Rajpura, who heard the thunderous sound, rushed to the accident site. A nearby teacher Prem Chand said the first thought that crossed his mind was if the pilot had escaped unharmed. “It is hard to forget his terrified face,” he claimed. He said not once did he think about the loss to his standing crop.

With the police and the IAF cordoning the crash site, the villagers watched the burning wreckage from a distance. Among them were two young boys. “My uncle was in the Indian Air Force. He never flew a plane as he was part of the ground staff.

“But I will surely fly an aircraft one day... Such incidents cannot dampen my spirit,” said one of them, sounding rather mature for his age.

Wings of Death

Aug 2, 2011: MiG-21 crashes near Bikaner soon after take-off from Naal airfield in
Rajasthan; pilot killed
Feb 4, 2011: MIG-21 fighter aircraft crashes 140 km away from Gwalior airfield
June 15, 2010: An alert pilot tilts a crashing MiG-21 towards fields before ejecting himself safely about 10 km south of the Halwara Air Base in Raikot
(Ludhiana)
May 3, 2002: 9 killed as MiG-21 crash-lands in thickly populated area of Jalandhar city

Chandigarh, September 6
Just more than a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside Harish Rai Dhanda’s appointment as Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, the Supreme Court has issued a notice on a special leave petition filed by the State of Punjab.

Taking up the SLP challenging the judgment and the order dated August 17, the Bench of Justice RV Raveendran and Justice AK Patnaik observed: “Issue notice returnable in two weeks regarding interim prayer (for stay of the order) …. List immediately after two weeks.”

In an embarrassment to the ruling coalition, the High Court had earlier ruled that Dhanda’s appointment was liable to be set aside as the decision-making process was shrouded in obscurity and efforts to choose the best were missing.

A Full Bench of the High Court had ruled in favour of a fair, rational, objective and transparent policy. It had suggested the inclusion of the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker in the decision-making process.

Making it clear that the incumbent had to be a man of impeccable integrity, calibre and administrative experience, the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Permod Kohli and Justice K Kannan had also laid down the procedure to be followed for appointing members and Chairman of Public Service Commissions.

The ruling bringing the appointments under the High Court’s purview came on a petition filed by advocate Salil Sabhlok through counsel DS Patwalia. Referring to the apex court’s judgments, the Bench indicated that laying down the procedure was well within its jurisdiction. It ruled there was no prohibition in any of the verdicts “to lay down the procedure for the decision-making process to ensure fair, transparent and objective.

Bathinda, September 6
The local police has booked a sub-inspector stationed at the Kotkapura city police station and two others for conducting a fake raid on a house a few days ago.

They have been identified as Sub-Inspector Harbans Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Swaranjeet, all residents of Kotkapura.

In her complaint to the police, local resident Tejinder Kaur said her son and daughter-in-law were estranged and were involved in a police case.

While the police was investigating the matter, her daughter-in-law’s two brothers reached their house along with the SI and threatened the family members.

She said she allowed the SI inside when he told her that he had come to conduct a raid and needed to search the house. She said there were heated exchanges when the Sub-Inspector and her daughter-in-law’s brothers tried to ransack the house.

Tejinder Kaur filed a complaint with the Kotwali police station the following day. A case has been registered under Sections 363, 342, 506, 170 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.

Patiala, September 6
A day after the Patiala police claimed to have busted a fake degree racket, the third accused and the mastermind of the racket Jaswinder Singh has also been arrested. The city police is smelling a widespread travel agency fraud as well, in which candidates could have used these degrees to get admissions abroad.

Senior officials probing the matter confirmed that the arrested accused have confessed during the questioning that they charged a small amount for certificate of detailed marks from the buyer. “We prepared fake certificates of bachelor’s degree and technical fields from Punjabi University, Punjab University and Punjab School Education Board (PSEB),” said the accused to the police officials.

Following his questioning, eight more certificates have been recovered from him, said the CIA officials investigating the matter. “We are sure to know the details of many more persons who procured the certificates through this gang as Jaswinder was the man who was in touch with the buyers and the gang members, who prepared certificates,” they added.

According to Patiala CIA incharge Sukhminder Chauhan, there were ample chances that many persons used these certificates to escape from India to other countries and that seems to be the sole reason as to why these gang members continued operating in Punjab from the past many years. “We are questioning them to ascertain the role of some insiders, who could have a say in the institutions, as well,” said Chauhan.

According to Patiala SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill, more arrests could follow. On the modus operandi, the SSP said while one of the gang members looked for customers, the other two made certificates on a scanner using paper similar to that used by the two universities. “We are probing the matter and the role of university insiders cannot be ruled out. The certificates looked impeccable at first glance”, he said.

More than 1,700 persons are believed to have benefited from fake certificates, showing affiliation with Panjab University, Chandigarh, Punjabi University, Patiala, and the Punjab School Education Board, in the past over four years.

Rajpura, September 6
The police here has registered a case against Nishan Singh of Saidkherhi village for duping a Patiala resident of his money on the pretext of selling him a piece of land. An FIR has been registered against the accused.

Addressing mediapersons at a local hotel, Gurdeep Singh Bedi alleged that the accused had sold him a piece of land and had accepted full payment through cheque.

“However, when I went to the land records department, I was told that this land never belonged to him and I have been duped. I approached the senior police officials and lodged a complaint against the accused who refused to return my money”, Bedi stated.

The police said the case has been registered and there were a few more cases against the accused and they would soon
arrest him.

Patiala, September 6
The Jhulka police has arrested two persons in different raids and recovered 5-kg opium and 80-kg poppy husk from them. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the arrested persons.

According to Jhulka SHO Gurpreet Singh Bhinder, 5-kg opium was recovered from Kamaldeep Sharma, who was travelling on a motorcycle and a resident of Haryana.

“He had hidden the drugs in his bike and was stopped at a naka,” said Bhinder.

“Another accused, identified as Sanjeev Sharma, was arrested with 80-kg poppy husk, which was hidden in his car,” added the SHO.

“Questioning of both the accused is on to ascertain who were to be supplied these contrabands,” said Bhinder.